In recent years, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have seen consistent growth in assets. Institutional investors in Europe carry out their trades both over-the-counter (OTC) and on exchanges, while the introduction of electronic request-for-quote (RFQ) trading has increased transparency and improved access to liquidity for the European ETF market.
In the US, ETFs and exchange-traded products (ETPs) are well-established investment vehicles, with combined assets now totalling US$1,641 billion, according to 31st October 2013 figures released by ETFGI. Most trading takes place on exchanges by retail and institutional investors alike..........................................Full Article: Source